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Blogs in general

We’re in the Seattle Times today in which the Times, for the first time, mentions the bleachers.

Two things I want to mention:

Perhaps it takes the right hot-button issue. Zumsteg, a program manager at Expedia who writes the U.S.S. Mariner blog, just might have hit on one.

I don’t so much write the blog as for the blog. Given the massive contributions of Dave and Jason (yeah, I know he hasn’t been around — he’s got a new kid) I think that’s an important distinction.

And

“We’re like the Radio Free Europe for Mariners fans,” said Derek Zumsteg, 30, who blogs on the baseball fan site U.S.S. Mariner and says he wants to stimulate “a good fight with hair-pulling and name-calling.”

I did say the Radio Free Europe thing, but the other quote comes from the Comments Guidelines where that was supposed to come across as a comment by someone I don’t want hanging around, expressing a view entirely opposite to the one I hold. I’ve tried to make that a little clearer, going in and putting the header in quotes and making the text clearer that I’m responding… but unfortunately it’s too late for the article.

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Comments

9 Responses to “Blogs in general”

Kristi on
September 22nd, 2004 10:50 am

Derek: It wasn’t Sharkansky. You said this under your own site guidelines, on the link Site Information.

In boldface: “But I want a good fight with hair-pulling and name-calling.”

Sorry if I did not distinguish that from the interview.

JPWood on
September 22nd, 2004 10:51 am

Do you really think anyone who reads USSM regularly believed these morphstortions? Not important What is important is that someone from the ST has picked this up and will be talking about it today with the sports staff.
Is Stone next?
Levesque also came back the theme today, putting more emphasis on the “space” (he quotes from the Mariner’s own press package vanting the landing) than on the bricks this time.

Paul Covert on
September 22nd, 2004 11:12 am

Kristi– you might want to check the comments guidelines again. Derek was paraphrasing the typical “these rules are too strict” complainer at that point, and immediately afterward gave his own reply: “Major sports web sites have message boards. There are forums all over the place. They offer different crowds and debate flavors, and if this doesnâ€™t sound like your pint of beer, I hope you find one thatâ€™s more to your tastes.”

(In other words: “If you want a good fight, there are lots of other places for it– please don’t come here with that attitude.”)

I’m sure it was an honest mistake, but you really did put in Derek’s mouth the exact words he was arguing against.

Xteve X on
September 22nd, 2004 11:19 am

Obviously the words “But I want a good fight with hair-pulling and name-calling” were meant to be put in quotes, as if it were a quote from those who prefer an aggrandizing, argumentative message board.

No offense to Kristi, but even a casual read of the ensuing paragraph makes it pretty obvious what Derek’s stance is regarding that type of behavior. This is the opposite of a typical get-in-your-grill, nonsensical, ill-informed trash talking fan site.

Ah. I’ll make that clearer in the comments guidelines, but Paul’s right, that’s… it’s exactly the opposite of what I want.

Still, I have no doubt this was an innocent mistake. I’ll edit the post.

jwb on
September 22nd, 2004 2:50 pm

JPWood — I don’t understand this sentence in your comment …

“What is important is that someone from the ST has picked this up and will be talking about it today with the sports staff.”

Just curious what you meant by it. Thanks!

Jim Thomsen on
September 22nd, 2004 2:51 pm

I wish this would lead to coverage in the sports pages of The Times, but with the exception of Larry Stone, who doesn’t use his insight as well as he could given his prominent bull pulpit, the Times’ sportswriters seem determined to be a last bastion against enlightenment, a group who universally value access over analysis.

That being said, good on you, USS Mariner. With each mention in the mainstream press, you become more of a player in mainstream debate. No doubt hundreds of people reading Kristi’s article have Googled USS Mariner and are bookmarking it as we speak.

The downside: At this rate, the pizza feed will have to be held in Key Arena or at Boeing’s big hangar in Everett. Off-duty police officers will have to be brought in, as will dozens of porta-potties. Shuttle buses will have to be rented for transportation between the cheese-only table and the anchovies-and-pepperoni section.

JPWood on
September 22nd, 2004 3:06 pm

JWB:
So far, Kristi Heim is the only ST writer to have picked up this story, which she dealt with from a Bus/Tech perspective despite the it’s being essentially a baseball/public oversight story. Since public oversight is an extremely marginal journalistic field and sports are overloaded with territory guardians (HS, college, football, baseball, M/W basketball,…) I’m guessing that someone on tha sports desk who reads the paper he or she works for will ask Kristi what she was writing about and why.
That’s all.